Supporting a Flexible, Future-Focused Definition of Professional Graduate Programs
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) established new annual and lifetime loan limits for graduate students. Congress established higher limits for “professional” programs, acknowledging that these fields are crucial to the American workforce and often incur higher costs. OBBBA expressly states that the definition of “professional program” is the same as the definition of professional program found in the regulations as they existed on the date the bill was enacted.
However, the Department of Education (ED) is interpreting “professional” narrowly, limiting it to only ten legacy fields that were listed as non-exhaustive examples in the regulatory definition. This reading excludes roughly 93% of all graduate programs, including nursing, physical therapy, engineering, architecture and other market-driven fields that Congress clearly intended to support and would prevent the definition from adapting to new and emerging professions.
The Department's narrow interpretation could exclude nearly all graduate programs in fields like nursing, engineering, architecture, and allied health from higher borrowing limits. Below are resources and a list of actions your campus can take to help advocate for and protect graduate education access and sustain America's professional workforce.
OBBBA states that "Examples of a professional degree include but are not limited to Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.), Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.), Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.), Law (L.L.B. or J.D.), Medicine (M.D.), Optometry (O.D.), Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.), and Theology (M.Div., or M.H.L.).
The Department of Education, however, is proposing to consider these examples as the only professional programs.
-
Action Alert (coming soon)
What Your Campus Can Do Now
The ten fields currently considered to be “professional” under the Department of Education’s definition are: (Pharm.D.), Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.), Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.), Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.), Law (L.L.B. or J.D.), Medicine (M.D.), Optometry (O.D.), Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.), and Theology (M.Div., or M.H.L.).
Students enrolled in “professional” graduate degree programs will be eligible to borrow up to $50,000 annually and $200,000 in aggregate for their graduate program, while students enrolled in all other graduate degree programs will be eligible to borrow only up to $20,500 annually and $100,000 in aggregate for their graduate program. The changes are scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2026 for new enrollees for the 2026-27 academic year.
Contact your Representative and both Senators to express concern about the Department of Education’s restrictive interpretation. Ask them to contact the Department and urge officials to respect congressional intent by adopting a flexible, future-focused definition that evolves with workforce demand. Personalize your message—share examples of graduate programs or professional pipelines that would be harmed by reduced borrowing capacity.
Work with your academic affairs and financial aid teams to identify programs that could fall outside the Department’s narrow definition (e.g. DNP, PA, M.Ed., M.Arch., M.Eng., MPH). Prepare a short summary showing enrollment and completion trends, workforce demand, and the estimated impact on students if borrowing caps take effect.
Draft a short narrative highlighting students or alumni whose professional careers depended on accessible graduate education. Emphasize real-world consequences such as reduced access to healthcare or fewer teachers in your region. Share these examples with NAICU (email your story to GovernmentRelations@NAICU.edu) and your state association to strengthen the national message.
Inform your NAICU State Executive of the potential impact on your programs. Encourage licensing boards, workforce agencies, and professional associations (e.g., nursing, architecture, teaching) to communicate their concerns to the Department of Education and to congressional offices.
Share NAICU’s talking points with senior campus leaders and boards. Encourage them to use these materials in conversations with elected officials and staff or include them in upcoming briefings.
Identify nearby public colleges or universities with affected programs and consider a joint sign-on letter to your Congressional delegation. A coordinated message from multiple campuses in one state demonstrates broad, bipartisan concern.
Review NAICU’s updates and outreach templates. Let the NAICU Government Relations staff know what actions your campus takes so we can amplify your advocacy in Washington. Email the team at GovernmentRelations@NAICU.edu.